Heater



April 8, 1952 F. w. EDWARDS 2,592,400

HEATER Filed June 10, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR. Eta 7%ZZ27 /1 lywdrqis,

April 1952 F. w. EDWARDS 2,592,400

HHHH ER Patented Apr. 8, 1952 HEATER Franklin w. Edwards, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a

corporation of Delaware Application June 10, 1946, Serial No. 675,529

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in space heaters, and more particularly to heaters especially adapted for use in motor vehicles.

An object of the invention is the provision of a heater unit operable to admit to the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle a continuous supply of fresh air and to selectively vary the temperature of the air so admitted to the extent that the temperature thereof may be either raised or not materially affected by the heater.

In carrying out the foregoing, I preferably provide a heater unit comprising a heat exchanger and a casing therefor so constructed and arranged as to accommodate movement of fresh air through the unit in a path which by-passes the heat exchanger and wherein means is provided to cause all or a selected portion of air moving through the unit to pass through the heat exchanger.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a heater unit including the aforesaid arrangement of components wherein maximum heating of air is obtained by .causingthe same to pass twice through the heat exchanger prior to discharge from the unit.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple and eilicient means for controlling movement of air as aforesaid through the heater unit, and more particularly to provide a single valve or damper for effecting such control.

A heater unit of the foregoing type can be utilized to supply either heated or unheated air to the vehicle windshield for defrosting the latter, and an additional object of the invention is to provide means in the heater operable to control such defrosting air supply independently of the aforesaid air supply. More specifically the invention provides a simple control for the defrosting air supply and operable to cause defrosting air to pass through the heat exchanger or to by-pass the latter.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a motor vehicle equipped with the improved heater unit.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heater unit shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away to show the underlying structure.

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view, mainly in section, taken as on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. l, the improved heater unit I0 is shown applied to a motor vehicle including a forward compartment in which is disposed a water cooled internal combustion engine II and a conventional radiator |2 therefor. Hot water is communicated to the heater unit ID from the engine cooling system and returned to the latter by suitable hose connections indicated at |3 and M. Fresh air is communicated to the heater unit by a conduit I5 extending forwardly from the unit Ill through the engine compartment and having a funnel-shaped inlet l6 disposed at one side of the radiator |2. Any suitable fan disposed in the housing may be employed to draw air through the opening and impel the same through the conduit IE to the heater I 0. One or more air conductors |8 lead from the heater to supply air therefrom to the interior surface of the vehicle windshield I9 and other conductors 20 extend laterally from the heater and rearwardly of the vehicle to supply air from the heater to portions of the vehicle passenger compartment.

The heater unit |l as more specifically shown in Figs. 2 to 5 includes a heat exchanger 2| of the fin and tube type, the fins 22 being laterally spaced to accommodate the passage of air therebetween for heating and the tubes 23 being connected with the hot water supply conduits |3 and Id. The exchanger 2| is contained in a housing 24 and as more particularly shown in Fig. 3, the exchanger 2| is disposed in spaced relationship with respect to the opposite front and rear walls 25 and 26 respectively of the housing 24. An end wall 21 extends upwardly alongside an end of the exchanger 2| and is there flanged laterally from the latter as at 28 to provide, in conjunction with the walls 25, 26, an air inlet 29 projecting laterally from'the main body of the housing and which is connected to the adjacent end of the air conduit I5. A plate 30 extends upwardly between the flanged wall 28 and the top wall of the casing alongside the adjacent end of the exchanger 2| and forwardly and rearwardly between the rear wall 26 and the front face of the exchanger 2 I, thus preventing air directly entering into the space or chamber indicated at 3| between the casing wall 26 and exchanger 2|, as shown in Fig. 3, and also preventing air passage into the adjacent end of the exchanger 2 I. Thus air flows directly from the inlet 29 into the space or chamber indicated at 32, between the wall 25 and the adjacent face of the exchanger 2|.

Air so admitted to the space 32 may flow there- 3 from through outlet openings to the conduits 20, one such outlet opening 33 being shown in the end wall 24. The housing front wall 25 is also provided with an air outlet 34 controlled by a damper 35.

For the purpose of causing all or a portion of the fresh air admitted to the space 32 to pass through the exchanger 2|, there is'provided a valve or damper 31 disposed in such space 32. This damper is mounted on a rod 38 oscillatably supported from the housing 24, one end of which rod projects outwardly from the housing through a flanged bracket 39 attached to the housing and carries an arm 40. The latter has a toothed end acted on by a pinion 4| carried by an actuator 42 mounted in the bracket 39 and extending to a location in the passenger compartment convenient for manual manipulation. Any suitable means other than that shown may be provided for operation of. the damper 31.

In the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, and the damper cooperates with the housing wall and the adjacent longitudinal edges of fins 22to divert all incoming air through the upper portion of the exchanger 2| and into the space 3| as indicated by the arrows in Figs.v 3 and 5'. The housing is closed to passage of air from the space 3| and hence the pressure produced by incoming air will force the air so admitted to space 3| through that portion of the exchanger 2| damper into the space 32 also below such damper for discharge from the outlets as aforesaid.

The damper 31 may be rotated clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3 from its illustrated position to a second position, shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, to permit all air topass to the space 32 without moving. through the exchanger 2| and thereby provide fresh, unheated air to the vehicle, or the damper may be positioned intermediate such positions tov cause only a selected portion of incoming air to move through the exchanger 2|, thus varying thetemperature of the air supply by furnishing both heated. and. unheated air to the space 32..

Air may be supplied from the heater unit to a relatively remote location, for example, to the windshield for defrosting the latter, through a neck-like outlet 43 open to the space or chamber 32v ata location above the damper 31. The control for this supply of air operates independently of. the damper 31 and preferably utilizes a specific portion of the heat exchanger 2| for heating such air supply. As will be noted from Figs. 2 and 4, there is provided a horizontally disposed plate 44 extending between the casing wall 25 and. the adjacent longitudinal edge of the fins 22 and a swingably mounted valve or damper 45 alsoextending between such casing wall and fin edges, thereby blocking movement of air into that portion of the chamber 32 bounded by the plate 44 and damper 45. A plate 46 is disposed between each pair of adjacent fins 22 and prevents air moving between the fins into the space indicated at 41 in Fig. 2 and bounded by the plate 44 and damper 45. The latter damper 45 is carried by a rod 48 mounted for oscillatory movement by any suitable mechanism, not shown, to swing the damper 45 clockwise to a position to close the opening in the casing to the outlet 43, thereby preventing air moving to the latter, and such damper may be swung in the opposite direction to a second position to permit the free movement of air to the space 41.

In operation, with the dampers positioned as illustrated, air will flow from the upper part of below the the chamber 32 through the exchanger 2| to the chamber 3| and thence again through the exchanger 2| to the chamber 32, the major portion of such air entering the latter below the damper 31 and a lesser portion flowing to the space 41 for discharge to the outlet 43. Swinging the valve or damper 45 anti-clockwise to the aforesaid position will change the above, to'the extent that air will pass directly to the space 41 without going through the exchanger 2|. By swinging the damper 31 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3, with the damper 45 in its illustrated position, air flow across the front face of the exchanger is unobstructed and the same will pass directly to the outlets 34, 33. However, the size of the latter openings relatively to the volume of incoming air is suchv asto create a static pressure in the chamber 32 sufficient to cause a portion of the incoming airto move through the exchanger 2| to the chamber 3| and return through the exchanger to the space 41 for discharge through the outlet 43. Thus unheated air may be supplied to the vehicle for space heating purposes simultaneously with the supply of' heated air for defrosting purposes.

I claim:

A space heater including a casing, a heat exchange unit in said casing spaced laterally from a wall thereof to provide an air passageway therebetween, a first damper in said passageway, said casing having air inlet and outlet openings communicating with said passageway respectivelyupstream and downstream relative to said damper. said first damper being shiftable between a first position to-extend at an inclination between said casing wall and unit for deflecting air through said unit prior to discharge thereof at said outlet opening and a second position accommodatin the flow of air thereby to said outlet opening bypassing said unit, said casing having a second air outlet opening upstream of said damper and adapted to communicate; with said passageway, a. vertically disposed plate extending-between opposed faces of the unit, a horizontally disposed plate extending between said unit and av wall of said casing adjacent to and below said second outlet opening and said vertical plate, and a sec- 0nd damper in said passageway upstream of said first damper positionable vertically in substantial alignment with said vertical plate and adjacent to said horizontal plate for. cooperation with said plates to block the flow of air from said passageway to said second outlet in a path other than through said unit, and said second damper being shiftable, to a position relative to said plates accommodating the flow of air to said second outlet opening in a path bypassing said unit.

FRANKLIN W. EDWARDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTSv Number Name Date 1,719,659 Hopkins July 2, 1929 1,785,334 Black Dec. 16, 1930 1,839,688 Lintern et al. Jan. 5, 1932 2,026,929 Backe Jan. 7, 1936 2,300,357 Hans Oct. 27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,621 Great Britain Oct. 14, 1914 110,808 Sweden June 6, 1944 

